Rubber vulcanization agents and methods for their preparation



nitecl States Patent Oifi fi 3,523,926 Patented Aug. 11, 1970 3,523,926 RUBBER VULCANIZATION AGENTS AND METHODS FOR THEIR PREPARATION Stanley B. Mirviss, Stamford, Conn., assignor to Stauffer Chemical Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Filed Nov. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 681,573 Int. Cl. C08f 27/06; C08c 11/54; C08g 33/00 U.S. Cl. 260-79 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Superior vulcanization agents for rubber are prepared by heating conjugated diolefins with sulfur in the presence of catalytic amounts of amines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The new method of this invention in its broader aspects comprises heating together at a temperature of from about 100 to about 250 C. between about 3 and about 50 parts by weight of sulfur and one part by weight of a diolefin, in the presence of a catalytic amount, up to about 10% by weight of the mixture, of an amine. The vulcanizing agent thus obtained may be isolated from the system or, preferably, the entirereaction product may be combined in situ with either natural or synthetic rubber and subjected to standard cure conditions to obtain novel low-bloom vulcanizates. In these products the amines are a key component. They are not just catalysts for the preparation of the curing agent, i.e. the copolymer of diolefin and sulfur. They are also catalysts, or co-curing agents, with the copolymer in making the ultimate vulcanizate. The copolymer is a sulfur donor source for making the crosslinks, i.e. for the vulcanization.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As hereinbefore indicated, the useful temperature range is generally from about 100 to 250 C. Below 100 C. there may be insufficient reaction and above 250 C. too many side reactions may occur. Obviously the particular temperature chosen is interdependent with the time of heating, and the time:temperature relationship for any particular reaction system can be readily determined by those skilled in this art. Similarly, the precise quantity of the amine catalyst or co-curing agent will depend upon the choices and relative proportions of sulfur and diolefin in conjunction with the times and temperatures of heating which are desired to effect the interpolymerization. Generally, no more than about 10% of amine by weight of the reaction mixture is necessary. Preferably an amount of amine somewhere between 0.2 and 5% by total weight, reaction temperatures substantially between 150 and 230 C. and ratios of about 5 to 45 parts by weight of sulfur per part of diolefin are employed. Elemental sulfur is the preferred form of this component of the interpolymers. The polymerization may be carried outwith or without inert diluents. If a diluent is used, it is preferably one that is easily removed later, such as benzene, heptane, carbon tetrachloride, toluene and the like.

The most useful diolefins are those which are linear or cyclic conjugated compounds, such as piperylene, butadiene, isoprene (Z-methyl-butadiene), 2,3 -din1ethylbutadiene, cyclopentadiene, cyclohexadiene-l,3, cyclooctadiene- 1,3, l-vinylcyclohexene, l-phenylbutadiene, 1,4-diphenylbutadiene, chloroprene, l-methoxybutadiene, heptadiene- 2,4, etc. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, other olefins can also be selected which, while not themselves conjugated, will crack to form a conjugated diolefin under the particular heating conditions employed. For instance, one of the preferred reactants of this invention is the dimer of cyclopentadiene, i.e. dicyclopentadiene, which on heating above about C. cracks to form cyclopentadiene which then reacts with the sulfur.

The amine catalyst chosen may be varied widely. It may be either primary, secondary or tertiary, and it may be either alkyl or aryl substituted or both. In its broader aspects, the invention contemplates the use of amines of the general formula where R, R and R" may be the same or different and may be aryl, alkyl (cyclic or acyclic), arylalkyl, and/ or alkylaryl, and any one or two of R, R and R" may be hydrogen. Especially preferred are dimethylamine, ethylamine, aniline, dimethylaniline, pyridine, piperidine, diisopropylamine, tertiary butylamine, tnethylam-ine, tertiary octylamine, octadecylamine, ethylenediamine, tetrarnethyl ethylenediamine, propylene diamine, naphthylamine, N-methyl naphthylamine, N,N-dimethyl benzylamine, cyclohexylamine, and the like.

The curing agents prepared by the new process comprise interpolymers of an entirely different class from those heretofore known. They range frombrown viscous oils to horny resins, depending upon the relative proportions of sulfur and diolefin. Of course the solid resins must flow when incorporated into the rubber. Either natural or synthetic rubbers are advantageously vulcanized by conventional curing techniques utilizing minor proportions of the new curing agents. Rubbery materials in the vulcanization of which these curing agents are particularly useful are styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polybutadiene, polyisoprene (synthetic), natural rubber, and other polydiolefin or poly-olefin-diolefin copolymer rubbers. To these rubbers are generally added proportions of curing agent ranging from approximately 0.25 to 10 parts per one hundred parts by weight of rubber, and preferably from about 1.0 to 6.0 p.p.h. Vulcanization times and temperatures as well as other conditions are generally those well known in the art and of course depend on the type of rubber and its intended use.

The vulcanizates resulting from the use of these curing agents comprise broadly a major proportion of the rubbery material and from about 0.25 to 10 parts per hundred parts by weight thereof of the sulfur:diolefin interpolymer containing the amine. As previously indicated, this type of interpolymer is a novel one. Of course, curing agents consisting of olefins or diolefins and sulfur are known in the prior art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,513 teaches them. However, it claims only olefins and there is no mention of amines, which are key ingredients of the interpolymers of this invention. When representative curing agents taught by the patentees are compared with the agents of this invention, it is found that the presence of the amine markedly improves tensile strength, modulus and Shore hardness without substantially altering scorch values or cure index. Thus, the amines clearly play a unique role in the vulcanization as well as probably a role in the prior reaction between the sulfur and the diolefins.

The following examples are given to illustrate this invention but not in any way to limit its scope.

Note: In these examples SBR denotes styrene-butadiene rubber; MBT is mercaptobenzothiazole; and DPG is diphenylguanidine. The scorch, cure, 300% modulus, tensile strength and hardness data reported were obtained by standard test methods. The vulcanizates were prepared in each instance by milling together the rubber stock, the particular curing agent under study and other conventional ingredients, and curing the reautoclave for /2 hours. The skin temperature remained in the 140-145 C. range. The internal temperature rose to 125 C. after 1 /2 hours and remained there. When the reaction was stopped, rocking of the bomb was continued for two hours until cool (50 C.). The bomb was opened with difliculty as the product was a hard solid. The odor characteristic of dicyclopentadiene was noted while the odor of H 8 was absent. The product was a brown, homogeneous gum having some sulfur crystals on the upper cooling surface. This polymer was sulting blend at about 292 F. for 30 minutes. 10 designated Control.

Exam 1 I The same quantities of the cyclopentadiene dimer and sulfur were again reacted under the same condltions for One hundred ninety-two grams of elemental sulfur 5 /2 hours but this time in the presence of 2 grams of and 34 grams of isoprene (molar proportions of 12:1) 15 the Amine 100 catalyst. The skin temperature reached were heated together for five hours in a onventional the l46-153 C. range within 15 minutes and remained autoclave bomb at 150 C. (skin temperature) and 135 there for the duration of the heating cycle. The internal C. (internal temperature) and then slowly cooled. The temperature showed a steady rise to 120 C. during the bomb was opened and the red-brown polymer removed first half hour, a plateau at 120-122 C. for the next and separated from unreacted sulfur by benzene extrachalf hour and a gradual Ilse t0 the range flan, Of 9 9 grams f tot l rodu t, 5,3 grams were over the next half hour, remaining in this range for the sulfur and 4,6 grams ware the polymer This latter was duration Of the heating cycle. It then {00k 4 hOLlIS fOl' designated Control. the reaction product to cool off. The bomb was opened The same quantities of sulfur and isoprene were again d o pressure was noted. There was no odor of hydromixed in the reaction bomb and this time 2 grams (about gen Sulfide, but the odor of Olefin Wa d t t d. The 0.85% by weight) of Amine 100 were added, This product was red-brown and hard. It was very slowly commercially available material (Richardson Co.) is dissolved in carbon disulfide. The resulting solution was a dimethyl-substituted, long chain aliphatic tertiary amine n Poured into an evaporating dish and the carbon of about 300 molecular weight. The reaction was carried disulfide allowed to evaporate. When all the carbon di out for 5 /2 hours. The skin temperature reached the ulfid had ev p ra e t p lym r Was chopped up in a 146-158 C. range within 15 minutes and remained in War ing blendor and submitted for vulcanization testing. that range for the duration of the heating operation. The Vulcanizates were prepared using 10 parts by We g internal temperature rose rapidly to 113 C. in the first 0f the P y 620 Parts Of rubber masterbatch, half hour, and rose gradually over the next hour to 134- parts MBT and 1.6 parts DPG. This masterbatch con- 136 C. where it remained for the duration of the heating i t d f eq l parts by W ight of SBR and #1 Pale cycle. The cool-off period was 5 hours, and an exotherm Crepe (na r l ru ber), of carbon black by weight in the 73-78 C. range was noted. The bomb was opened of the mixed rubbers, 8% of an oil softener and exeasily. There was no pressure and the odor of H 8 was tender (Circosol 4240), 4% zinc oxide, 2% stearic very strong. The product was a red-brown paste. acid and 1% of an antioxidant. Test results were as The Control polymer was used to prepare a vulcani- 40 follows:

300% Tensile Cure modulus Shore strength Sample Scorch Cure Index (p.s.i.) hardness (p.s.i.)

Control 20 23. 5 3. 5 960 47 3, 315 With amine 22 26 4 1, 135 50 3, 620

zate by mixing 10 parts by weight of it with 588 parts When the same reaction is repeated twice more, in the of a rubber masterbatch, 2.4 parts MBT and 1.6 parts first instance using 0.5 gram of the Amine 100 (about DPG. The masterbatch consisted of 1080 grams SBR: 0.2% by weight of the reaction mixture) and in the sec- 32 grams zinc oxide: 16 grams stearic acid; 8 grams 50 0nd case using 12 grams of this amine (about 5.25% by phenolic antioxidant (Agerite Stalite S). The aminetotal weight), interpolymers are obtained of substantially containing polymer was used to prepare a second vulcanisimilar character to the product containing 2 grams of zate by admixing 10 parts by weight of it, 588 parts of the amine. the same rubber masterbatch, 2.4 parts MBT and 1.6 parts DPG.- v Example III The comparative test results on these two vulcanizates BY the procedures of Examples I and a m ure of are given below. They clearly demonstrate the markedly 12 moles of sulfur and 1 mole of cyclopentadiene monoimproved tensile strength and greater modulus alue mer was heated for 5 hours at 130 C. in a bomb in the achieved when the amine-containing interpolymer was presence of 10 grams of tributylarnine. The product was employed as the vulcanizing agent. used to cure a polybutadiene rubber in the manner de- 300% Tensile Cure modulus strength Shore Sample Scorch Cure index (p.s.i.) (p.s.i.) hardness Control 14 19 5 1, 065 3, 240 50 With amine 14 18 4 1, 130 3, 435 52 When the same proportions of sulfur, isoprene and scribed in Example II with the same beneficial results as amine are mixed and reacted under the same conditions in Example II. but at 220-235C. for three hours, substantially the Example IV same interpolymer results.

Example II A 24:1 molar ratio of sulfur to diolefin was obtained by mixing together 192 grams of sulfur and 33 grams of dicyclopentadiene. This mixture was reacted in the Again the procedures of Examples I and II were carried out, using one mole of dimethyldicyclopentadiene and 24 moles of sulfur and heating at 200 C. for 3 hours in the presence of ethylene diamine. The product was used to cure a 50% natural rubber, 50% SBR mixture in a masterbatch similar to that of Example I. A vulcanizate resulted having improved physical properties when compared to a vulcanizate prepared from the same masterbatch and the diene-sulfur product made without an amine present.

Example V A mixture of 1 mole of piperylene and 12 moles of sulfur was heated for 6 hours at 135-145" C. in an autoclave with 15 grams of cyclohexylamine and then cooled down. The product was removed and used as a curing agent for a natural rubber masterbatch. A vulcanizate with improved physical properties was again obtained.

Example VI The procedure of Example V was followed and comparable results were obtained by replacing the piperylene with 4-vinylcyclohexane and the cyclohexyl amine with diisopropylamine.

What isclaimed is:

1. The method of preparing a vulcanizing agent for natural and synthetic rubbers which comprises heating together at a temperature of from about 100 to about 250 C. between about 3 and about 50 parts by weight of sulfur and one part by weight of a conjugated diolefin, in the presence of a catalytic amount, up to about 10% by weight of the mixture, of an amine.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the conjugated diolefin is cyclopentadiene.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the conjugated diolefin is isoprene.

4. The. method of claim 1 wherein the amine is a dimethyl-substituted tertiary amine.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein between about 5 and 45 parts by weight of elemental sulfur per part of diolefin and between about 0.2 and 5.0% by total weight of amine are used and the mixture is heated to from about 150 to 230 C.

6. The amine-containing interpolymer prepared by the process of claim 1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,989,513 6/1961 Hendry ct a1. 26079 3,259,598 7/1966 Solomon 260---23 3,264,239 8/1966 Rosen et a1. 26023.7

OTHER REFERENCES Hoffman, W.: vulcanization, Palmerton, N.Y., 1965, pp. 182-185.

JOSEPH L. SCHOFER, Primary Examiner C. A. HENDERSON, JR., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

